Surface Tension

looks like you must have managed to get up high?  great picture.  best, jamie

Nice one, Gordon. You post pictures rather infrequently nowadays (don't we all) but they're always worth the wait. A very delicate touch with this picture; I especially like the rippled reflections in the water.

Jamie,

Yes I did mange to get a bit of height although I would have liked to get a bit more. The landscape out here has been scoured by glaciers in the last ice age and then pounded by gale force wind and waves. Any protrusions have long ago been worn away. I travel in my kayak with a smaller carbon fiber tripod to keep the weight down. To take this shot and be able to get separation between the small islands and rocks  and the large islands on the horizon I had the tripod legs fully extended. I like to use ND filters and longish exposures to get the softness I want in the water so I tied the center post of the tripod to a big rock with some rope for stability , stood on my tip toes on another rock and used the live view function to focus and compose.  I still wish I had gotten that little bit higher. Maybe I will end up having to bring along a bigger tripod and pack less food next time.

Jack,

Glad you like this one I spent a lot of time fiddling around with it. As I learn more about post production work and now that I have a new computer I find myself wanting to wring the utmost out of each file. I still try to make the tweaks subtle and non intrusive but I make a lot more of them.

Summer up here half way between the north pole and the equator is fleeting so I've been trying to use my time getting out shooting and enjoying the sun while it still shines with some regularity. The moments I've been indoors have been spent trying to master my printer and get images matted and framed. That entire process I've been enjoying immensely. I have been poking my head in the door at PN to look at what may be new with some folks. Whenever I do drop by I note that the days of extensive and extended exchanges on new image uploads seem to have gone by the wayside and one line comments with no follow up seem the norm. It's like tweeting is now considered long form communication and everyone has the attention span of a gnat.That in conjunction with Josh Root having banned me from the POTW forum and a few other forums I regularly visited has tended to decrease my time spent here. I still stick around just to be contrary and to keep an eye on a few folks whom I would miss if I shut the door and walked away.

Geez! when I look back at this entire rambling response I realise that I need to restrict myself to one cup of coffee before breakfast. I better go outdoors and take the dogs for a long walk to burn off that second cup.

Beautiful picture. One can feel that tension gently plotted by fine lines, fine tones and shapes of Earth in her momentum in time and space. 

Tatjana,

I find your words poetic,  you have communicated wonderfully  in words the essence of what I hoped to say visually with this photo...... thanks! 

There is a delicate and subtle beauty here that so many similar images found on this site seem to miss. Frankly, I'm not sure I see going higher on the angle, but to each his own. It has a very natural look with that wonderful suffused light.

Cheers

Gordon, I can understand why you would want more height but it doesn't diminish the impact at all for me. It stands very strongly on its own. The colour palette is beautiful, the rocks that echo the colour of the sky and the ripples come together to create a striking image. It is a beautifully executed image of a very simple landscape.

It gives me a lot to enjoy and think about for my own work.

Jem Southam, an English landscape photographer, convinced me of the importance of getting altitude.  He lugs a 10-foot ladder and a big view-camera down craggy cliffs to get to isolated beaches.  I think the height is ok here.  It looks natural.  More height would be great, as you say, but I think you got what you needed.  best, j

Dave,

Thanks for the feedback, I am always thankful for your evaluation. I have been trying to work out an approach to shooting and PP  with these images of the bay which is understated, as  apposed to the now rather standard over-saturated, strong contrast approach. That this image strikes you as subtle and delicate tells me that I am on the right path. The height issue was a matter of  wishing for a small increase, more like the need for a soapbox rather than a step ladder.

 

Jeff,

That I may have given a landscape photographer of your stature something to ponder is a grand compliment.  I often refer to your work for inspiration.  I've probably mentioned this before but In case I have not. I enjoy greatly going through your Seascape folder and loved that you have them lain out chronologically. It gives viewers the opportunity to follow the progress of your vision on that theme over a period of years and makes for a wonderful education on what is possible if one steps outside the box.

This image was part of the view on the island on which I set up my camp for the night, so I had a good amount of time to ponder the scene and wait for the right light. The height issue here came into play when I tried to line up the elements within the frame in such a way as to give good separation between them. I just managed to get up high enough to have the reeds separated from the background and get a thin band of water between the rocks and shoreline. I have a few frames from a lower angle and those tall reeds cutting through the background island spoil the image.

Jamie,

 Well yes that is Dedication! my excuse for not hauling around a ladder is the modest size of a sea kayak, although it is 17 feet long it is only a couple of feet wide.... maybe I need a bigger boat. Thanks for the follow up, I will have to Google Jem Southhem and see what a ten foot ladder does for his portfolio.

The pastels are wonderful, but the yellow-green of the weeds is the real attention-grabber here. I like how everything melds and flows into each other, apart from the exclamation of acid green.

He prints them out at about 3' x 4' on an absolutely stunning inkjet printer.  It's "Southam," by the way.  I spelled it wrong at first also.  best, j

This is one of your very best. I love the soft/delicate color palette, the beautiful details, and the  DOF.The darker line at the very end leads the eye back to the FG.Very well done!

How are you ? I hope all is well.

Beautiful!!!!!

Take care,

Mário

Jeff,

In that windswept glacier polished landscape, vegetation is the only thing that stands up or stands out, so I try to capitalize on that aspect.

Jamie,

I looked through a selection of Jem's photos... some of them were quite lovely.

 

Pnina,

I am well, busy contending with the change of seasons and bracing for the winter. I hope you are well. Glad you like this one.

 

Mario,

Thanks glad you like it.